


It's in his kiss

by DeadPoet



Category: The Musketeers (2014)
Genre: Athos kisses way too much, Constance is a good friend, F/M, M/M, Pining, Possibly Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-05
Updated: 2015-04-05
Packaged: 2018-03-21 10:50:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3689457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeadPoet/pseuds/DeadPoet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Athos kisses everybody, especially Aramais and d'Artagnan feels leftout. At least he has a very intelligent wife who knows just what to do.</p>
            </blockquote>





	It's in his kiss

**Author's Note:**

  * For [drakendottir](https://archiveofourown.org/users/drakendottir/gifts).



> This just a little something that came into my head when Athos kissed Aramis after the boy got out of the dungeon. (What is it with these people and getting imprisoned?)  
> I hope you enjoy. This fandom really needs more works. :) (Yes, I meant YOU! Go to work, get something written! I want some pining Athos!)

See, the thing is: Athos kisses everyone. It's actually kind of adoring.  
He kisses Porthos' cheek when he is so drunk, that someone has to carry him, he kisses Aramis' forehead when the man goes away for a mission. When they get Aramis back out of the dungeon, he kisses his cheek in a lingering way. His eyes crinkle while he does it and his fingers linger on Aramis' neck.  
The only one he never kisses is d'Artagnan. And it does kind of hurt. d'Artagnan was there a lot of the times, that Athos got so shitfaced that he didn't move anymore. Not moving, he looked brooding and put together but the moment he DID move you could see, that he was plastered and pretty much helpless. He had never tried to kiss d'Artagnan when he hauled him up and brought him home. But the moment Aramis or Porthos were there, they got grins and kisses on the cheek or the neck.  
It is not like d'Artagnan WANTS to be kissed, mind him. He has a beautiful wife, he gets all the kisses that he could possibly want, but... It's just... He does feel left out, okay?  
What he does get are hugs. Lots of them. Every time, when he gets in danger and just barely makes it back he gets a hug that's close to bruising his rips, pressing him against leather or that shirt that Athos seems to be unable to close.  
Sometimes d'Artagnan dreams about these hugs and he dreams about Athos pressing a kiss to his cheek, beard scratching and burning and that would be _it_ and he could stop obsessing about it.  
d'Artagnan has a wonderful wife. The most beautiful and funny and cheeky wife there is and he gets all the kisses one might want. REAL kisses. So. He doesn't _need_ Athos to kiss him. He really doesn't.  
It's just...  
He sits in the barracks and he sees Athos kissing Porthos on the forehead, after the man gets back from a mission or after he crushed the recruits and it's all respect and acception of pretty much everything. And he didn't know if that meant, that he didn't get any respect of Athos or... Maybe he just...he still saw that little boy in him, a boy that had marched in and tried to kill him, more with conviction than with skill. A gascognan farmboy, nothing more. Was that how Athos still saw him? Just a mere boy? Not worthy of something that he gave men? It made him angry to think of it like that. He wanted to slap Athos, to push him, to scream at him until the man would see him as a man, a worthy comrade.  
He sits in a tavern and he sees Athos kiss Aramis on the cheek, after the man has given a speech on some psalm. Aramis laughs and turns him around and kisses him right on the mouth. “Never do something half assed, my dear friend!”  
For a moment, Athos just looks at him, looking stern, close to angry and then grabs him and dibs him like a lady after a heated dance and kisses him then. Aramis hums and hugs him and lifts his leg, slings his arms around Athos. When they are finished, Aramis laughs and Athos grins. “Good enough for you?”  
Aramis laughed again and petted his head. “Aren't you an adorable moody Grumpyhead? You look nearly handsome when you're grinning. d'Artagnan, what do you say? Isn't he pretty when he smiles?”  
“Like the king himself.”  
Athos huffs and turns away. The whole thing leaves d'Artagnan feeling small, insignificant, overlooked. He thought about grabbing the man by the lapels and kissing him himself, just to show him, that he could that with him too – joking around, being respected and loved. It is so obvious that Athos and Aramis love each other. Not like Aramis and Porthos do. Aramis and Porthos are soul mates, an old couple and the only other person Aramis looks at like that is queen Anne.  
But Athos and Aramis understand each other without words. They work together without hickups and they trust each other unconditionally. There's so much history, so much trust and....and d'Artagnan stands outside of that and he will never be able to get in, because Athos is pushing him away. Again and again and all he gets are hugs.  
It isn't like he wouldn't _like_ the hugs. He actually do like hugging Athos. It's nice. It feels like an embrace sometimes, like something to hold onto. There's the smell of leather and sweat and horse and wine and that solid body against his own and he just wants to stay there for a while, knowing that Athos is there, knowing that...that he's okay. That's what this is. He feels safe in these hugs. He can relax, because Athos is there and he trusts Athos to always have his back. Athos is his safe haven.  
Constance on the other hand... Constance is the one that HE can protect. He can be her safe haven, he knows that. And it is easy with her. He knows, that she loves him, loves him like he is and that she – for all her nagging – is proud of him and of what he does, what kind of man he is.  
He never knows whether or not Athos even _approves_ of him.  
Sometimes he lies awake at night and just tries to imagine it: Athos, looking at him, nodding and then kissing him on the cheek, cradling part of his cheek, part of his neck with his hand. He wants that. He really, really wants that.  
He tries to do EVERYTHING just to get Athoss approval. There are days when he follows him around like a little puppy. The bad thing is: He knows this. He can see how it looks from the outside. He just... He can't stop himself. Not when Athos sometimes looks at him with something akin to warmth in his eyes, something like affection. Something, that might – one day – become what d'Artagnan wants it to be.  
It's Constance again, who gets him what he wants. Sometimes it is creepy how well she seems to know him. It's one day after they had the other three over for dinner. She's quiet afterwards, very quiet. And then, when they lie in bed and are both looking at the ceiling, she says: “You are lookin at his mouth a lot.”  
“Whose?”, he asks, because he needs to at least pretend.  
She doesn't grace him with an answer to that, not directly. The silence is stretching. He's asking himself, what Constance might be thinking. She knows him so well but she DOES get jealous. They had it all with Milady because Milady was pretty and confident and...a lady. Athos is all that too, just that he's a gentleman, even though a drunk one. It's a thing that should make all the difference but somehow it isn't, because where there is that burning HATE he has for Milady, there is a whirlwind of sadness, affection, warmth and mind numbing coldness for Athos and he doesn't know what that means or how he might even try to explain it. But he has to, doesn't he? He has to try.  
So he tries. He really does, but there are just no words for it. None at all.  
Constance hums finally. “He kisses people a lot, Athos.”  
“Yes.” He laughs sadly. “Yes he does indeed.”  
“No. You don't understand. It's not just Aramis and Porthos. It's...everyone really. He even kissed the flower girl when she had pale pink tulips.”  
Now he turns and looks at her. She smirks. “They are his favorites.”  
d'Artagnan sighs and he doesn't care that he sounds like a puppy that doesn't get enough love. That is the way he gets petted by Constance. Sue him.  
“I'm not. His favorite. Or anything really.” Does he really rank lower than the girl with the pretty flowers?  
Constance laughs. "Oh you poor little thing. Did I ever tell you how I and Athos became friends?”  
“No...” And neither did he ever wonder. They are both wonderful people. It is natural that they found each other. Even though.... They are not talking that much with each other. They do not have anything in common really.  
“Hmm.” She kisses him on the cheek and then just goes to sleep. d'Artagnan will never understand her. The next day though, when he wakes up, Constance is already gone for the day.  
And then she comes back while he is still breaking his bread and she has Athos in tow. Athos looks like she has just grabbed him out of his bed. There's no jacket, the shirt is open and he looks not entirely sober yet.  
d'Artagnan stands up. “Constance, what...”  
She shushes him with a finger to the lips and then turns around to Athos. “You have my blessing this one time.”  
There's a moment when Athos blinks, just looking at her and then – finally – there is understanding blooming.  
d'Artagnan himself doesn't understand a thing. He just knows, that suddenly he is pulled in by Athos. Then there are hands on his cheek and Athos kisses him. His lips are pressing against his and suddenly he just can't breathe any longer, because Athos is there, is everywhere. He doesn't really even open his mouth or anything. It's more chaste than most things he has seen Athos do with Aramis or even Porthos. But it does feel like too much, it feels aggressive and feral and somehow he is waiting for Athos to press him against the wall but it never happens. It's a chaste peck of lips, really, but it feels like being possessed or ravished or something really.  
When Athos retreats, he just looks at him and for a moment there is some raw need in his eyes. Then he closes up, just turns around and leaves. Even before he's through the door, d'Artagnan's knees decide that work time is over and he sits down on the chair, his lips tingling.  
Constance pets his hair, sighing. “THIS is why Athos never kisses you, dear.”  
Never again at least.  
He still doesn't think that he understands, but he smiles.

**Author's Note:**

> So, in case you are wondering about the tags: Athos is the one who's definitely in love. And he and Constance met, because they were looking at the same guy. Not Bonacieux though, because: Irgh.


End file.
